Han Li’s mouth twitched before he gave the others an explanation with a bitter smile, “Break through the formation? Brother Jin greatly underestimates the formidability of ancient cultivator formations. I merely dispelled the formation spell’s outermost layer, which was acting as a smokescreen.”
Jin Qing was slightly disappointed to hear this, but without waiting for him to speak, Hu Yue suddenly spoke with joy, “Haha! That’s fine. Take your time, we have plenty. Now, we have some confidence that this formation can be broken through after all.”
Jin Qing blankly stared for a moment before agreeing with slight embarrassment, “Right! Us cultivators have no shortage of time. I was just being impatient.”
At that moment, Shi Die’s haughtiness disappeared without a trace. She gave a deep bow to Han Li and sincerely said, “This young woman is truly ignorant. I truly didn’t think that Senior would take such an original approach in using formations to break formations. It has widened Junior’s perspective. I hope Senior Han will provide some guidance on the Dao of Formation Spells.”
Han Li had returned the gesture with slight surprise. This sudden turn of events had greatly changed his impression of her.
“This was but a minor trick. In truth, I actually don’t hold much understanding towards formation spells.” Han Li replied with a calm expression.
Han Li was being completely truthful! Were it not for her pointing out that the formation spell was a dual earth-wind attribute, Han Li would’ve had no way of knowing how to start and break through the illusion formation.
Han Li had only spent a mere twenty years researching formation spells. As such, his knowledge was quite limited. He had merely absorbed most of the theories of formation spells without gaining a deeper understanding.
The reason why he was able to make use of such a carefully prepared strategy, like using the Big Dipper Heaven-Earth formation flags to break the formation, was simply due to his confidence regarding Xin Ruting’s genius in formation spells.
Among Xin Ruting’s experiences, she had included the ingenious methods she had used to break through many different kinds of formation spells. Despite Han Li’s lack of understanding, he had made a reckless attempt.
However, this technique was extremely clever and had deeply shocked the others!
The other cultivators clearly considered Han Li’s words as modesty and viewed him with respect. Han Li faintly smiled in response and didn’t force himself to further explain. Instead, he turned his gaze to look at the true formation hidden behind the illusion formation.
After the mist faded away, a layer of dim yellow light was revealed, covering an area of about four hundred meters.
Chapter 418: Breaking Through the Formation
The newly revealed light barrier was thick and slightly blurred. Although it wasn’t as obscure as the dense yellow mist, it still clouded the interior.
In addition to the outer barrier of light, there appeared to be several more layers within and a round pillar at the very center of the light barrier that stood about ten meters tall. Ancient decorative designs and characters seemed to be carved onto it, but no one was able to clearly make them out as their spiritual senses were being completely blocked by the light barrier.
But even stranger than the pillar were the countless, slender bands of rainbow light that erratically roamed within the light barrier. They appeared extremely abnormal as though they were alive.
When the others saw this, they couldn’t help but click their tongues in astonishment.
Han Li’s expression became gloomy and he carelessly revealed a trace of his suspicion.
Although he hadn’t broken many ancient spell formations, Xin Ruyin’s records had contained information on many types of ancient formation spells. From the aura and appearance of the formation spell before him, it didn’t appear the slightest bit similar to an ancient spell formation. It even held a trace of evil Qi.
With that in mind, Han Li turned his gaze towards the nearby Shi Die.
He saw her examining the formation with great curiosity, but her face didn’t reveal a trace of peculiarity. This caused Han Li, who didn’t hold much confidence in formations, to self-mockingly believe that his judgement was wrong.
“It seems that today is coming to an end. Since Brother Han and the others have come here from so far away, how about they rest for a moment before coming back to break the formation tomorrow? After all, it doesn’t seem like the formation can be broken through in a short amount of time!” Hu Yue spoke, showing great consideration towards Han Li and the others that had recently arrived.
As Han Li felt that this formation would take quite some time to unravel and was somewhat exhausted, he didn’t refuse Hu Yue’s suggestion.
Although Fairy Shi appeared to have identified the formation and was eager to continue, she didn’t raise any objections towards Hu Yue’s suggestion.
Thus, the group returned to their stone buildings.
Since there weren’t that many stone buildings, Han Li and the others casually reshaped the earth to make some rooms and used a stone transformation technique on them before officially taking residence in them.
……
The following morning, Han Li and Shi Die arrived outside the light barrier and began their attribute tests and calculations.
The entire process of destroying the formation was very slow, especially at the start. The two felt somewhat overwhelmed, not knowing where to start. They’d often encounter a few insurmountable difficulties that they couldn’t make any progress on, even after spending several days attempting to solve them.
But regardless of how it was said, the formation spell was inanimate while they were alive. It was only a matter of time before any formation spell was fully studied and comprehended. Even particularly strange formation spells could eventually be unraveled.
Through the cooperation of Han Li and Fairy Shi, this ancient formation spell proved to be no exception; its finer details were slowly being made clear bit by bit.
During this process, Han Li’s view of the female cultivator greatly changed.
Although she came off as somewhat arrogant, she truly did have some skill. Not only did she fully comprehend all sorts of widely circulated formation spells, her analysis of the composition of the formation spell was meticulous and flawless, causing Han Li to hold quite a bit of respect towards her.
Although Han Li saw that her accomplishments in the theory of formation spells weren’t as impressive as Xin Ruyin’s, she wasn’t that far off.
But at the same time, Han Li felt somewhat puzzled. Why was it that all the formation spell experts he knew were female? Could it be that the Heavens had gifted female cultivators with an innate talent for formation spells?
However, comparing Fairy Shi to Xin Ruyin was an exercise in frustration. Although Fairy Shi’s grasp on the theories were clear, she possessed far too few formation breaking methods. She would merely alternate through several kinds, and if none of them had any effect, she could only stare helplessly.
Han Li clearly knew his own limitations well. A mere dabbler in formation spells like himself was far inferior when compared to this woman. Understanding this, he never disputed anything the woman said and bluntly made use of Xin Ruyin’s formation breaking tricks in accordance with what she said. In response to his actions, the woman became rather impressed by him.
As a result of these events, Han Li and Fairy Shi developed a tight coordination. After the female cultivator analyzed the weak points of the spell formation, Han Li would then think of a way to break through. Not only did their speed at unravelling the formation substantially increase, they learned much regarding what they were lacking from one another, to both their satisfaction.
As for Jin Qing and the others, they were unable to contribute for the time being and obediently meditated in the stone buildings, quietly waiting for the two to break the formation.
Three months later, Han Li and Shi Die called the others over t
o the slope. In their last few days of toil, they had nearly managed to break through the great formation. Now, only the last restriction remained. Once it was gone, the strange stone pillar at the center would be completely revealed.
The light barrier’s appearance was now very different from when they started. Not only had it shrunk to less than half its original size, its original dim yellow had turned into a fiery scarlet red. After approaching it, one would feel a scorching heat being emitted.
But what was more baffling was that the countless bands of rainbow light within the light barrier had now turned into winged fire serpents. They endlessly roamed the area within the light barrier and continuously spouted out thin flames.
“What kind of demons are they?” When Jin Qing saw them, he couldn’t help but ask in surprise.
The others also gazed on with astonishment.
“Fire attribute winged demon spirit fiends. They are rarely seen and only appear in extremely peculiar areas. It has an extremely short lifespan, lasting only several hours before fading away. However, their innate demon flames are no less powerful than a Core Formation cultivator’s core flame and their favorite foods are the souls of mortals and primal souls of cultivators. They will be very troublesome to deal with. The final restriction has obviously transformed the area into a Tri-Yang Field, allowing the fire spirits to continue to spawn. If any cultivators forcefully broke through the restriction without knowing this, they would surely fall prey to the winged fiends.” Shi Die proudly explained.
After all, very few people knew of “Winged Fiends”, but she was able to instantly recognize them.
“Winged fiends?” When Jin Qing and the others heard that the demons were capable of swallowing their primal souls, their expressions couldn’t help but change.
“Since you’ve told us this, you two must have a method of breaking through. Please do not hesitate to give us instructions.” The taciturn cultivator surnamed Jian suddenly spoke.
The others were slightly surprised upon hearing this and turned their gazes to Shi Die and Han Li.
Han Li faintly smiled but remained silent. Shi Die then grinned and spoke in a lovely voice, “Senior Han and I had quite a headache at the start, but after many days of discussion, we eventually thought of a safe method to break through the restriction. However, this requires the assistance of your strength.”
Although this woman’s expression was calm, her melodious voice caused her to appear more charming.
“Fairy Shi, please tell us. We will definitely follow your and Senior Han’s instructions.” Hu Yue spoke with a chuckle.
Shi Die then bluntly gave out her orders, “To break through this formation, we require the simultaneous assistance of many water attribute magic tools. We’ve already collect several of these tools. We only require you all to grasp these magic tools and stand where we say. Once Senior Han breaks the formation, you fellow daoists will use your magic tools to eliminate the winged fiends that escape.”
At the side, Han Li added on, “Everyone, under no circumstances should you use your magic treasures to attack the demon spirits. These innate fire spirits will pose a great problem if we allow them to get too close to us. It will be too late by the time you want to run.”
Having seen Han Li’s solemn expression, Hu Yue and the others looked at each other and agreed with shivering hearts.
Afterwards, Han Li took out a small ruler, a small hammer, and a small pitchfork, giving them to Jin Qing, Crooked Soul and cultivator Jian respectively. As for Shi Die, she handed over a blue scarf to Hu Yue.
The party then stood nearby in their positions as directed by Shi Die. She then hastily backed away and took out a short sword magic tool before focusing her attention on Han Li.
Han Li didn’t rush to act. He first took another careful look at his surroundings. Only after seeing that nothing was amiss did he feel confident enough to act. Several tens of blue formation flags and plates, formation setup tools for a water attribute formation spell, flew to Han Li’s side and started to drift about erratically.
Han Li then wordlessly shifted his fingers, continuously releasing sounds of pops.
The formation flags and plates responded by surrounding the red light barrier and slowly falling into a formation.
The formation flags directly inserted themselves several inches deep into the earth, and the formation plates steadily floated several inches above the ground, forming a formation spell with a firm appearance.
Chapter 419: Ancient Treasure
After the formation flags and plates were appropriately arranged, Han Li took a deep breath and was about to cast a technique before being interrupted by the sounds of whistles coming from the horizon. A blue radiance flashed through the horizon followed by a blue streak resembling a flood dragon quickly flying across the ocean. In the blink of an eye, it arrived above them.
Once the light faded away, an eccentric wearing dual swords on his back was revealed.
Upon seeing his appearance, the others were startled. Above them hovered a shriveled and thin figure, with a red, rash covered face, and fierce, triangular eyes framed by long, messy white hair. This odd looking man wore a black short sleeved shirt with a strange flower basket hanging from his waist. From his Spiritual Qi fluctuations, it appeared he was a mid Core Formation cultivator.
After getting a clear view of the area, the eccentric was surprised to see so many Core Formation cultivators. But after his gaze fell onto the red light barrier and Han Li’s formation setup tools, his expression greatly changed.
“Are you Juniors seeking death? You dare to take advantage of this island lord’s absence to pry into his project? Hurry up and get off this island!” The eccentric yelled with an ominous glare.
“Island lord?”
“This is yours?”
Hu Yue and Jin Qing looked at one another for a moment while Han Li and the others were at an even greater loss.
This wasn’t an uninhabited island?
Hu Yue frowned and calmly asked, “Fellow Daoist is the lord of this island?”
“Obviously! I have already been this island’s lord for several hundred years.” The eccentric replied without a trace of politeness.
“That’s odd, my Brother Jin and I never caught a single glimpse of you on our last trip here!” Hu Yue stated in a calm manner.
“What? You’ve already come here once? Humph! It’s the same as the current situation. You came here while I was preoccupied with matters off the island.” The eccentric glared at them with even greater anger.
Hu Yue sneered and derisively said, “So you’re saying that you are the sole inhabitant of this island? Then your esteemed title of island lord is self conferred.”
As the restriction before him was about be eliminated, Hu Yue was unwilling to pay any attention to the eccentric before him.
“Humph! Stop equivocating! In any case, you’ve performed the grave crime of destroying these restrictions. Since you don’t wish to leave, then I will help you remain here permanently!”
Suddenly, the wicker basket on his waist turned into a streak of chilling white Qi, shooting straight towards Hu Yue.
This time, Han Li and the others were the ones to be surprised.
Had this person gone mad? Did he not see how many Core Formation cultivators they had on their side? Was his mind addled?
Hu Yue responded in furious alarm. With a wave of his sleeve two red lights shot straight towards the incoming white mist. With a muffled peng, the white mist was scattered and dissipated in every direction.
“It seems this dog’s bark is bigger than his bite!” Hu Yue relaxed upon seeing the mist scatter and bluntly made some cutting remarks.
The eccentric remained silent but strangely smiled.
Hu Yue’s heart trembled and his expression suddenly changed, before yelling, “What’s going on? My flying knives!”
After breaking the white Qi transformed from the basket, the two flying knives were tottering in their orig
inal place as if they were failing.
Afterwards, the scattered white Qi quickly reassembled itself, and with a flash of radiance, it reformed back into its appearance as a flower basket. The two flying knives were trapped inside the flower basket while enveloped in the white Qi, incapable of breaking free.
Hu Yue looked on in disbelief as his magic treasure was restrained. The other’s also paled in response.
However, the eccentric didn’t give them any time to think. He coldly laughed and his shoulders flashed with light. Shooting down two streaks of grey swordlight towards Hu Yue.
As he was next to Hu Yue, Jin Qing naturally found it embarrassing to just stand idle. He flicked his hand and threw out a small block stamp which grew larger as it smashed towards the grey light.
With a clap of thunder, the three magic treasures released brilliant flashes of interwoven colors.
At that moment, the cultivator surnamed Jian looked at Han Li and Crooked soul before silently raising his hand, and shooting a pitchfork glowing with black and white Qi towards the eccentric.
Han Li inwardly sighed. Since everyone else had acted, he and Crooked Soul could no longer just stand idle and had to join them against the eccentric. With that thought, Han Li and Crooked Soul released their Immemorial Bowl and Green Brilliant Dagger, sending them into the fray.
When the eccentric saw this, he didn’t reveal any fear. Instead he bellowed in savage laughter and spat out a pearl of black blood towards their magic treasures.
A huge series of explosions rang out!
Greatly going against their expectations, the bead had released a black radiance just as their magic treasures touched the bead and exploded, causing great spiritual damage to the magic treasures and all of their lights to immediately dim.
The cultivator surnamed Jian felt great heartache and appeared extremely regretful. His hands formed into an incantation seal to retrieve the flying pitchfork. From that strike, he would need to nurture it in his primal soul for about a year before recovering to normal.
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